imagine being from the wealthiest family in the world how would you spend your free time
hi everyone ken here welcome to this house today we are exploring the vanderbilt's country estate
idol hour make sure to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an exciting episode
of this house william k vanderbilt went on a building spree commissioning several
elegant mansions across the east coast in 1878 he commissioned richard morris hunt
the choice architect of the vanderbilt family to design a half-timbered tudor-style country home in
oakdale on long island which would be named idol hour william k vanderbilt was so impressed with
hunt's work that he commissioned him to design his manhattan mansion at 660 fifth avenue in
1879 later in 1888 he brought hunt back to design his marble palace in newport with three homes now
designed by richard morris hunt william thought of more ways to continue employing the architect
by 1892 idol hour had been expanded so many times that it no longer held the appearance of a tudor
revival style house but was more reminiscent of a meandering 90 room queen anne style home
the vanderbilts would enjoy many getaways to this home until a fire in 1899 completely consumed the
house devastated by the loss william hired richard halland hunt the son of richard morris hunt
to design a grand country home from scratch construction would carry on for four long years
while artists were brought in to finish out the house
entering the home you would arrive in a grand hall complete with marble columns and ornate archways
to either side were openings concealed by curtains in lieu of doors allowing the house to have a less
formal feel about it at the end of the entrance hall you would pass under the arches ascend a
few steps and arrive in the stair hall the master newell post towering above your head the living
room was entered through an arcade set below a jacobian ceiling with wood beam set and intervals
a large marble fireplace consumed nearly half the wall the furniture could be cleared out
of the room and placed in storage to accommodate large parties and balls
the family did not always come together to entertain but would sometimes separate by gender
men would gather in the smoking room decorated with heavy furniture and finished out in dark
wood the space was designed to have a masculine feel we can imagine men returning from hunting
trips smoking cigars and playing pool in this room while the men were being rowdy the women would
gather in the gold room which had been designed as a feminine retreat where no men were allowed
the white panels boasted floral stenciling and gold trim while the fireplace contained a lace
motif along the mantle supports the dining room was complete with half-height wood paneled walls
and held exposed wood beams on the ceiling stretching from floor to ceiling was a large stone
fireplace the freeze above the hearth contained a life-size marble relief of diana the goddess of
wild animals from roman mythology the study clad in red oak panels contained built-in bookshelves
poetically set above each bookshelf were symbols to depict the various academic fields of study
which were of interest to william vanderbilt the house also included wings for guests including
a special wing for single men to stay this wing known as the bachelor's wing connected
to an indoor handball court and boasted private terraces which faced away from the main house
exploring the grounds you would find several outbuildings including an indoor clay tennis
court with more guest quarters and a viewing balcony to watch tennis matches a conservatory was
built on the property but was quickly renovated and redecorated giving it a nearly moorish look
facilitating sport were the largest privately owned stables in the united states
richard morris hunt had designed them to be part of the original estate though they were renovated
and expanded on many times other buildings included an ice house an engineer's house
and a powerhouse which were all operated by paid staff living on the grounds the family
enjoyed idle hour until 1926 when williams harold sold the property idol hour would change hands
many times over the next half century with fires destroying many of the buildings but surprisingly
most of the estate stayed intact most recently dowling college acquired the property however the
college is no longer in operation and idol hour is currently boarded up awaiting its next owner
do you think it will be restored which part of idle hour was your favorite let me know down below
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